Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#92148 01/15/03 03:10 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 77
M
journeyman
OP Offline
journeyman
M
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 77
Thanks to Anu today, we can all share in this:

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset".

Crowfoot, Native American
warrior and orator (1821-1890)


...it is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime....




#92149 01/15/03 04:05 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Life's pretty evanescent.


#92150 01/15/03 04:38 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
I searched for "Indian orator Crowfoot" and got quite a few sites. Here is just one http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/quotes.html



#92151 01/15/03 04:42 PM
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
D
dxb Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
D
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
I believe there are now over 200,000 North American Bison; a far cry still from the 30 million that spread across the plains before the European settlers arrived on the scene, but a viable number never the less. I would love to see a large herd. A shame that the Passenger Pigeon could not be saved; are there any preserved in the museums? Perhaps it is a suitable case for cloning one day using DNA from the dead tissue. Could Jurassic Park ever become a reality?


#92152 01/15/03 09:17 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
I loved that one, too, mm. thanks for bringing it up here.

growing up in South Dakota, I've seen as many bison as there are to see, mostly. they are an amazing creature, full of the earth.





formerly known as etaoin...
#92153 01/16/03 10:52 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
They don't, or at least didn't, fence in the herd in Yellowstone Park: the "buffles", as my daughter called them years ago, simply walk right through them. There are some, raised privately, right here in Louisville. (Presumably behind electrified fencing!) They are enormous creatures, definitely of the earth, because they're too heavy to be of the air; some have shoulders the heighth* of a man.

*Apparently I have used a word that isn't a true word. But this is the way I pronounce it, when I'm using height in this sense. Here's what Atomica notes:
USAGE NOTE The pronunciation of height with a final (th), (hîth), which is rarely heard now, reflects the original spelling and pronunciation of the word in Old English. During the Middle English period, the (th) varied with (t), with the final (t) predominating after the 15th century. Another pronunciation, with a (th) sound coming after (t), (hîtth), is often heard, but it is generally regarded as nonstandard. In a recent survey, 90 percent of the Usage Panel disapproved of this pronunciation, which probably came about by association with width, breadth, and length.


But, back to the quote: did you-all notice that all the references are to either light or warmth, two things that we humans have craved since the dawn of time?


#92154 01/17/03 09:42 AM
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
D
dxb Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
D
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
"...light or warmth, two things that we humans have craved since the dawn of time?" - Jackie

That's what drives human endeavour. To make the cave a little brighter and a little warmer. And to bring the food in. The drive evinces itself in many different ways of course.




#92155 01/17/03 01:45 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
To make the cave a little brighter and a little warmer. And to bring the food in.
Yes. Besides the hide being used for warmth/shelter (I think some tribes made teepees from them), buffaloes were and are used for food. My husband had a buffalo steak when we went out to eat a couple of weeks ago.
And if I may add on a bit to making the cave a little brighter, a corollary result is the dispelling of the shadows. We also have an innate distrust of deep shadowy places, wherein we cannot see what danger may lie... (Ooh, the very word 'shadowy' gives me the shivers!)
The drive evinces itself in many different ways of course. Were you thinking of any in particular?



#92156 01/17/03 04:08 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
My father bought some buffalo meat and made a main dish of it with a garnish of squid. He called it his bison-tentacle recipe.



TEd
#92157 01/18/03 05:41 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
A favorite back in 1976, no doubt.


Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,580
Members9,187
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Karin, JeffMackwood, artguitar, Jim_W, Rdbuffalo
9,187 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 332 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,713
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,931
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5